the Steven P.J. Wood Senior Fellow and Vice President for Research and Publications

Friday's NBC Nightly News aired a story which went beyond standard liberal bias. It delivered a fabricated case against the peril of unfettered campaign
ads as Brian Williams claimed those from "outside political
groups...contain outright lies," yet as proof Andrea Mitchell showed
ads, not from "outside" entities, but from Republican party groups and
candidates - apparently only Republicans are running misleading ads -
with Mitchell focusing on the scandal of how those spots feature
actors.

After reciting three examples of the supposed deceitfulness, Mitchell
undermined her entire story by admitting: "It's not new that political
ads use actors." She then got to NBC's real agenda, which she didn't
bother trying to corroborate: "But what is different is the torrent of
money from corporations and anonymous outside groups pouring into
campaigns this year because of a Supreme Court ruling and other changes
in the law." Following a silly clip of President Obama joking about the
innocuous names of groups daring to buy TV time, Mitchell ominously
concluded "it's no laughing matter for Democrats, being outspent 7-to-1
by Republicans in the battle for the airwaves."

Williams
set up the shoddy story: "Candidates are spending a fortune this
season, and outside political groups are spending even more money. Some
of them take liberties with the truth. Some of the ads airing right now
contain outright lies. Others have more subtle deceptions."

Over
"POLITICS, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE" on screen, Mitchell began: "Almost
heaven, West Virginia, backwoods and hollers, just some of the boys at
the coffee shop." Showing a clip of an ad from the National Republican
Senatorial Committee with men in a restaurant criticizing Democratic
Senate candidate Joe Manchin, she pounced: "In fact, the commercial was
shot in South Philly's Oregon Diner, far from country roads, with actors
told to wear, quote, a 'hicky, blue collar look,' jeans, work boots,
flannel shirts, and John Deer[e] hats - misspelled - preferably beat
up."

Mitchell moved on to Ohio, where "a Republican attack ad
featured an out of work steelworker" who, shockingly, isn't really one:
"You wouldn't think there's a shortage of unemployed workers in Ohio,
but they hired an actor right out of Law and Order and some other roles
we can't show you on family TV." The "they," however, was not one of the
nefarious "outside political groups" Williams warned about, but the
campaign of GOP gubernatorial candidate John Kasich.

Next, she turned to a left-wing, conservative-mocking comedian for validation.
"In some cases the same actors pop up in different states," she
asserted over two screen shots showing the same man identified as an
"illegal alien," in ads created by the Sharron Angle and David Vitter
campaigns, a double-use highlighted by the liberal Think Progress site. Mitchell showcased an excerpt from Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert:

Those are the same hombres. Look at those two pictures.
This is the most terrifying scenario of all. There aren't enough stock
photos of scary minorities out there to represent all the scary
minorities we know have got to be out there.

Following that clip, Mitchell delivered her "it's not new that political ads use actors" line quoted above.

BRIAN WILLIAMS: If you live anywhere near one of these
hot political contests in this country, then you know political ads are
all over the airwaves. Candidates are spending a fortune this season,
and outside political groups are spending even more money. Some of them
take liberties with the truth. Some of the ads airing right now contain
outright lies. Others have more subtle deceptions. Our report tonight
from NBC's Andrea Mitchell.

ANDREA MITCHELL: Almost heaven, West Virginia, backwoods and hollers just some of the boys at the coffee shop.

MAN IN NRSC AD FOR JOHN RAESE: Obama's messing things up.

SECOND MAN IN AD: Spending money we don't have. Stimulus, ObamaCare.

FIRST MAN AGAIN: And Joe Manchin supported it all.

MITCHELL: In fact, the commercial was shot in South Philly's Oregon
Diner, far from country roads, with actors told to wear, quote, a
"hicky, blue collar look," jeans, work boots, flannel shirts, and John
Deer[e] hats - misspelled - preferably beat up. One of the actors, Damian Muziani, has played a lot of roles.

FROM WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?: All of those are my final answers.

MITCHELL: Even appearing on Saturday Night Live. In Ohio, a Republican attack ad featured an out of work steelworker.

MAN IN AD: Now Ted Strickland wants us to keep him in his job.

MITCHELL: You wouldn't think there's a shortage of unemployed workers
in Ohio, but they hired an actor right out of Law and Order and some
other roles we can't show you on family TV. In some cases the same
actors pop up in different states, here as undocumented immigrants in
Nevada and Louisiana.

STEPHEN COLBERT, ON COMEDY CENTRAL'S COLBERT REPORT: Those are the
same hombres. Look at those two pictures. This is the most terrifying
scenario of all. There aren't enough stock photos of scary minorities
out there to represent all the scary minorities we know have got to be
out there.

MITCHELL:
It's not new that political ads use actors. But what is different is
the torrent of money from corporations and anonymous outside groups
pouring into campaigns this year because of a Supreme Court ruling and
other changes in the law.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: They've got names like Americans for Prosperity or
the Committee for Truth and Politics. Or Moms for Motherhood. Actually,
that last one I made up.

MITCHELL: But it's no laughing matter for Democrats, being outspent
7-to-1 by Republicans in the battle for the airwaves. Andrea Mitchell,
NBC News, Washington.

- Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.

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